Foster children get a voice in Silicon Valley
Karen Scussel, an advocate for foster children in Santa Clara County, hopes to help judges and attorneys better understand a child’s background and needs.
Politics & Gov
Keep up with Peninsula Leaders, Legislation and Municipal Affairs
Rocketship charter school litigation battles highlight community tensions
Lawsuits questioning the Santa Clara County Board of Education’s authority to exempt Rocketship Education from local land-use requirements are signs of community unrest over a proposed charter school.
East Palo Alto targets school truancy in its anti-violence campaign
This spring, the city’s battle to reduce crime and violence will take on an unexpected new front: junior and senior high school students who chronically miss school.
Despite critics, Palo Alto mayor presses on with high-speed internet expansion
In his State of the City Speech at Tesla Motors, Greg Scharff, Palo Alto’s new mayor, suggested that Palo Alto needs to invest in fiber in order to become the “Leading Digital City of the Future.”
Santa Clara County to review immigration policy that became nationwide model
Santa Clara County’s district attorney is asking law enforcement authorities to hold some immigrants so that federal officials can decide whether to deport them.
U.S. patent office to open in Menlo Park in May, but entrepreneurs say process is expensive, outdated [VIDEO]
Entrepreneurs and established Silicon Valley businesses are cautiously hopeful about the benefits of a new U.S. Patent Office, scheduled to open here this spring. View the Video.
Building a Palo Alto center that converts waste to energy pits environmentalists against each other
Palo Alto’s environmentalists are locked in debate with one another over plans to construct a compost-to-energy facility. Residents are divided over whether the city should use the land to convert organic waste into clean energy.
Palo Altans seek new housing for their Buena Vista Mobile Home Park neighbors [VIDEO]
Open to travelers since 1926, Buena Vista Mobile Home Park may close within a year. Neighbors in Palo Alto are advocating for alternative housing options for the hundreds of residents who will be displaced if it closes.
Planned San Jose townhomes may lead to flood and environmental hazards, critics say
A San Jose proposal to build townhomes in a residential neighborhood is being challenged by environmental advocates who say that its location in a floodplain and its proximity to creek wildlife could pose problems for residents and animals.